Biotechnology in Health

1.
Biotechnology in Health
You may have watched movies about a person with Alzheimer’s disease who suffers from
dementia or loss of memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking capabilities that are
severe enough to interfere with daily life.
In the year 2020, a new Biogen Alzheimer’s disease drug was developed and
named “Aducanumab” which was sufficiently safe and effective in treating patients
with cognitive impairment due to mild to severe Alzheimer’s disease.
So, what exactly is Biotechnology? Biotechnology is the use of artificial methods to modify the

genetic material of living organisms or cells to produce novel compounds or to perform new
functions. The primary applications of biotechnology in medicine are the production of vaccines
and antibiotics. In the history, one of biotechnology’s breakthrough was the accidental but
successful discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. He found that the
fungus Penicillium notatum proved extremely effective even at very low concentrations,
preventing Staphylococcus growth even when diluted 800 times, and was less toxic than
the disinfectants used at the time. By the end of World War II, penicillin was nicknamed “the
wonder drug” and had saved many lives.
Red Biotechnology and Medicine
Red biotechnology is a process which utilizes organisms to improve health care and help the
body to fight diseases. It is a branch of modern biotechnology which is utilized in the field of
medicine. It is of great value not only to the pharmaceutical industry but also to the medical
profession as it facilitates the enhancement of the quality of life on one hand and the alleviation
of human suffering on the other.
Furthermore, it became a very important part of the medical field and is of tremendous use in
the field of diagnostics, gene therapy, and clinical research and trials. Genetic engineering and
the development and production of various new medicines to treat the different life-threatening
diseases are also part of the benefits of red biotechnology.
Medicine is the field of health and healing that includes nurses, doctors, and various specialists.
It covers diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, medical research, and many other
aspects of health. Medicine aims to promote and maintain health and well-being. In addition,
pathology is a branch of medical
science primarily concerning the cause, origin, and nature of the disease. It involves the
examination of tissues, organs, bodily fluids, and autopsies in order to study and diagnose
disease.
2. THE DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH
Here are the applications of biotechnology in health according to (Mahato, 2020):
• Molecular diagnostics draw upon recent advances in biology to diagnose infectious disease

by detecting the presence or absence of pathogen-associated molecules (nucleic acids or
protein) in a patient's blood or tissues.
Molecular diagnostics are simple, rapid, relatively inexpensive and have high specificity and
sensitivity. These include such technologies as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), monoclonal
antibodies, and recombinant
antigens.
Figure 1: Molecular diagnostics examine the molecules in the cell, i.e. the dna, rna or proteins,
and how their role in human biology and disease.
Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y4x6l7jb
• Recombinant vaccines are possibly the most important medical advance of the last hundred
years. Going back in the history, on May 14, 1796, Edward Jenner took fluid from a cowpox
blister and scratched it into the skin of James Phipps, an eight-year-old boy. A single blister rose
up on the spot, but James soon recovered. On July 1, Jenner inoculated the boy again, this time
with smallpox matter, and no disease developed. Vaccination has resulted in the eradication of
smallpox, the imminent eradication of polio,
and a dramatic reduction in the prevalence of many other infectious diseases. Advances in
vaccine research are expected to impact not only communicable diseases but also non-
communicable ones such as cancer.
Much progress is being made in recombinant vaccine development but there continue to be

challenges such as, for example, correct presentation of recombinant antigens to the immune
system and lengthening the lifetime of the engineered protein in the body.
Figure 2: Production of Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y6dgshkx
• Bioremediation influences the natural biochemical processes of plants or micro-organisms to

clean up the environment. Bioremediation has direct significance to any development activity
related to the environment,
including water, soil, and air. For instance, the use of bioremediation to clean contaminated soil
or water can promote food production and can prevent the spread of infectious water-borne
diseases.
Two main types of pollution threaten the health and well-being of human populations: organic
waste and heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium. Bacteria can detoxify both. Plants
can break down most forms of organic waste, and can store harmful metals in their tissues,
therefore making it easier to collect, harvest, and even recycle metal waste. Water contaminated
by human waste harbors large populations of pathogenic organisms and has been implicated in
the transmission of cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A, and other waterborne diseases. The incidence
of these diseases can be dramatically reduced through sewage treatment.
Conventional chemical sewage treatment can be augmented by the use of beneficial bacteria
and other microorganisms to kill pathogens.
Figure 3: Microbial Remediation of Pollutants via Synthetic Biology

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y3x49848
• Bioinformatics is the of computer hardware and software to store, retrieve and analyze large
quantities of biological data. The use of high throughput technologies (DNA sequencing
machines, DNA and RNA microarrays, combinatorial chemistry, 2D gel electrophoresis, and mass
spectrometry) produces large quantities of biological data which can also play an important role
in the development of medicinal drugs.
Figure 4: Statistical Bioinformatics

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/yxdvhj5f
• Sequencing pathogen genomes, together with bio-informatics can rapidly accelerate the

process of medicinal drug discovery and are important tools in fight against infectious diseases.
Perhaps, in a comparison of disease-causing and benign strains of the same organism, genes
unique to the virulent strain are likely to play an important role in pathogenesis, and
the proteins for which they code may be useful drug targets.
Figure 5: Pathogen Sequencing During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/yyvtfurv
• Enriched genetically modified crops

Malnutrition impaired cognitive and physical development, and is associated with multiple
illnesses attributed to specific nutrient deficiencies, such as anemia, caused by iron deficiency
which one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. Furthermore, malnutrition adversely
affects the immune system and amplifies the effects of infectious diseases. But with
genetic modification, it became possible to introduce new genes and new traits into crops that
developed more rapidly and more precisely than traditional breeding and also enable the
introduction of new genes from different species producing crops fortified with nutritional
values vital for good health.
Figure 6: Iron Biofortification of Rice Using Different Transgenic Approaches

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y4o63ly9
• Recombinant therapeutic proteins are used to treat many non-communicable diseases, and

the recombinant technology makes it possible to insert a gene or genes for the therapeutic
protein into a suitable organism. Transgenic mammals are currently the most attractive source
of recombinant therapeutic proteins. These animals secrete recombinant protein in easily-
harvested body fluid, such as milk or urine.
Table 1: Therapeutic Proteins From Recombinant Bacteria

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y3ctzzum
• Tissue nanotransfection
Tissue nanotransfection works by injecting genetic code into skin cells, which turns those skin
cells into the other types of cells required for treating diseases. In some lab tests, it completely
repaired the injured legs of mice over a period of a few weeks by turning skin cells into vascular
cells.
Figure 7: Neurogenic tissue nanotransfection in the management of cutaneous diabetic
polyneuropathy
Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y59dbb6d
• CRISPR/Cas9
CRISPR technology or CRISPR-Cas9 utilizes a protein called Cas9, which acts like a pair of
molecular scissors and can cut DNA. Specialized in stretches of DNA and are used in medical
biotechnology as a tool to edit genomes. It allows scientists to alter DNA and modify gene
functions. In addition, there are many applications of CRISPR such as correcting genetic defects,
treating diseases, preventing the spread of diseases, and improving crops.
Figure 8: CRISPR-Cas9 Mechanism

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y3jp5cv5
• Stem Cell Research

Stem cells can keep dividing infinitely and have the capacity to differentiate into different types
of body cells during the early development of an organism. Imagine an individual with
a degenerative spinal disorder that severely impacts their quality-of life. With the help of stem
cell research, it might be possible to
grow these stem cells in vitro, in a lab setting, and then implanted them back into the
affected individual’s body. This would help restore their cognitive acuity, vision, hearing, and
other physical features. This may sound far-fetched and like a plot from a sci-fi movie, but the
preliminary results have been promising.
Figure 9: Different Types of Stem Cell in the Body

Image Source: Genome Research Limited
• Gene Therapy is designed to introduce genetic material into cells to compensate for
abnormal genes or to make a beneficial protein. If a mutated gene causes a necessary protein to
be faulty or missing, gene therapy may be able to introduce a normal copy of the gene to
restore the function of the protein.
Figure 10: The Principle of Gene Therapy

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/yytpt7qf
• Human Genome Project was an international scientific research project coordinated by the
National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy and considered as one of the
greatest accomplishments of exploration in human history. It was officially launched in 1990 with
the goal of determining the sequence of nucleotide base pairs that make up human DNA. In
April 2003, the researchers announced that they had completed a preliminary sequencing of the
entire human genome. This work
of the HGP has allowed researchers to begin to understand the blueprint for building a person.
As researchers learn more about the functions of genes and proteins, it has aided them in
identifying genes that cause diseases.
Figure 11: The Diversity of Genomic Applications to Society.

Figure 12: From Genes to Proteins.
Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y2nyvwqh
• Targeted Cancer Therapies

Targeted cancer therapies are drugs that work either by interfering with the function of specific
molecules or by only targeting known cancerous cells, in order to minimize damage to healthy
cells.
Figure 13: Schematic Diagram of An AIC Targeting A Cell.

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/y56uycdy
• 3D visualization and augmented reality for surgery

Surgery is brutal on the human body, and medical breakthroughs that make the surgical and
healing process more efficient is always welcomed. Biotechnology has now made it possible for
doctors to view an entire 3D
image of the inside of a patient’s body through the use of MRI and CT scans. This allows each
organ to be precisely projected so that the surgeon can make small, targeted incisions to
minimize bodily trauma to the patient. Furthermore, augmented reality would allow pertinent
information to be displayed directly overlaid over the relevant body parts.
Figure 14: Augmented reality image overlay utilizing AR connected goggles.

Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/yypfk9eg
•3D Printed Organs

Artificial limbs have been in use for centuries, and there has been a steady improvement in
the mobility and versatility of bionic limbs. Now new advances in bionic technology and
3D printing have taken it even
further. It has made it possible to artificially construct internal organs like the heart, kidney,
and liver. Doctors have been able to implant these into individuals that need them successfully.
Figure 15: 3D bioprinters deposit different types of cells the way a color 3D printer deposits
different types of polymer.
Image By: Wake Forest
Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/yy6xhx66

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1.

So, what exactly is Biotechnology? Biotechnology is the use of artificial methods to modify the

Red Biotechnology and Medicine

Here are the applications of biotechnology in health according to (Mahato, 2020):

• Molecular diagnostics draw upon recent advances in biology to diagnose infectious disease

Much progress is being made in recombinant vaccine development but there continue to be

Figure 2: Production of Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine

• Bioremediation influences the natural biochemical processes of plants or micro-organisms to

Figure 3: Microbial Remediation of Pollutants via Synthetic Biology

Figure 4: Statistical Bioinformatics

• Sequencing pathogen genomes, together with bio-informatics can rapidly accelerate the

• Enriched genetically modified crops

Figure 6: Iron Biofortification of Rice Using Different Transgenic Approaches

• Recombinant therapeutic proteins are used to treat many non-communicable diseases, and

Table 1: Therapeutic Proteins From Recombinant Bacteria

Figure 8: CRISPR-Cas9 Mechanism

• Stem Cell Research

Figure 9: Different Types of Stem Cell in the Body

Figure 10: The Principle of Gene Therapy

Figure 11: The Diversity of Genomic Applications to Society.

• Targeted Cancer Therapies

Figure 13: Schematic Diagram of An AIC Targeting A Cell.

• 3D visualization and augmented reality for surgery

Figure 14: Augmented reality image overlay utilizing AR connected goggles.

•3D Printed Organs

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